In my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,400, an earring back is disclosed, wherein the back clutch of the earring may slide up and down a bridge in order to adjust the distance between the clutch and the ornament holder. This device had many disadvantages, however.
A first problem with the prior earring back device was that it was not designed, so that it could be used with a conventional clutch that may have been sold with a pair of earrings. As such, it was not a readily usable device, as it could not be easily adapted for earrings already in the marketplace.
Another problem with the earlier design is that the bridge mechanism did not provide any inward tension. As a result, it fit too loosely in the base and the unit was not sufficiently strong.
These and other deficiencies in the prior device have been overcome by the new earring back adaptor. In particular, it provides a unit which may be assembled with a conventional clutch that is present on earrings in the marketplace. Further, the bridge assembly is attached in a distinct manner, so as to increase the inward tension of the bridge and to thus provide greater stability for the unit.